Past Webinars

SUNY Tech Talks – October 2026

Wednesday, October 28th, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

• Microsoft Copilot (AI) Generated Summary Document
  • Please request access to the document using the form and access will be granted within 1 business day. 
• Links from the Chat
  • What is Microsoft Foundry Agent Service? – Microsoft Foundry | Microsoft Learn
  • Claire Scarrone’s Email (Microsoft)

Building the Future with Microsoft AI: From Foundry to AI Agents

Join Microsoft for an overview of its AI platform and explore how Microsoft Foundry can support the development of secure, grounded AI agents across SUNY. The session will cover the Microsoft AI ecosystem, agent development and knowledge grounding, security and governance considerations, and potential SUNY use cases. Attendees will also see a demonstration of the Foundry environment, including configuring an agent, connecting knowledge, testing responses, and reviewing evaluation and monitoring capabilities.

Agenda:

• Welcome, introductions, and objectives
• Microsoft AI platform overview
• Microsoft Foundry overview
• Building grounded AI agents
• Security, governance, and campus isolation
• SUNY use cases and reference architecture
• Demo or architecture walkthrough
• Questions/Close Out

SUNY Tech Talks – July 2026

Wednesday, July 29th, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

What’s New in Microsoft 365 Copilot

• Microsoft Copilot (AI) Generated Summary Document
  • Please request access to the document using the form and access will be granted within 1 business day. 

• Links from the Chat
  • Microsoft 365 Roadmap
  • Copilot in Outlook: New agentic experiences for email and calendar

Join us for a review of the latest Microsoft 365 Copilot innovations, upcoming capabilities, and roadmap updates. We’ll cover recently released features, what’s coming next, and how organizations can prepare to take advantage of new AI-powered experiences.

SUNY Tech Talks – June 2026

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026, 12:00 – 1:00 PM Eastern

Multilateral Federation with Microsoft Entra ID: A SUNY Geneseo Customer Story

• Microsoft Copilot (AI) Generated Summary Document
  • Please request access to the document using the form and access will be granted within 1 business day. 

Presenters:

• David Warden, SUNY Geneseo
• Jeff Apruzzese, Director of Marketing & Business Development, Cirrus Identity
• Mark Rank, Director of Compliance and Strategic Insights, Cirrus Identity

SUNY Geneseo migrated off aging on-prem infrastructure by adopting the Cirrus Identity Enterprise Bridge, keeping Entra ID as their primary IdP while gaining clean access to InCommon-federated applications. In this session, David Warden from SUNY Geneseo will share their journey, the architecture before and after, how they solved the protected-attribute challenge with LDAP, and the lessons they’d pass on to other SUNY campuses considering a similar path.

Agenda 

• Welcome and framing (Jeff Apruzzese, Cirrus Identity)
• Meet SUNY Geneseo: introductions from David
• The challenge: aging CAS and SimpleSAMLphp, hybrid complexity, protected attributes
• Before and after: how Geneseo re-architected with the Cirrus Identity Bridge
• Implementation and lessons learned
• Q&A

SUNY Tech Talks – May 2026

Wednesday, May 27th, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

From AI Pilots to Enterprise Impact: Scaling AI Across Higher Education

• Microsoft Copilot (AI) Generated Summary Document
  • Please request access to the document using the form and access will be granted within 1 business day. 

Join Microsoft and Solliance for a strategic session designed for higher education leaders looking to move beyond early AI experimentation and drive institution-wide impact.
As AI adoption accelerates across campuses, many institutions are navigating the shift from isolated pilots to scalable, secure, and sustainable enterprise solutions. In this session, Microsoft will outline what defines a “frontier” institution in the AI era, how universities are progressing along their AI journey, and why Azure’s AI platform is uniquely positioned to support this transformation. You’ll also learn how Azure AI Foundry enables institutions to build, deploy, and manage AI solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing campus systems.
Building on this foundation, Microsoft partner Solliance will share practical guidance on turning strategy into execution. This includes how to establish an AI Center of Excellence, how to transition from tools like Copilot and Copilot Studio to enterprise AI solutions, and how to align architecture, data, and governance for long-term success.

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how to scale AI responsibly and effectively, unlocking value across teaching, research, and operations.

Agenda
Microsoft: Setting the Foundation

• The evolving role of AI in higher education
• Defining the “frontier” institution: what leading universities are doing differently
• Mapping the AI journey: from experimentation to enterprise scale
• Why Azure AI for higher education: platform capabilities and differentiation
• Introduction to Azure AI Foundry and integration with existing campus ecosystems
• Real-world examples of AI and digital transformation in higher ed

Solliance: From Strategy to Execution

• What an AI Center of Excellence (CoE) is—and how to stand one up
• Moving from Copilot and Copilot Studio to enterprise AI with Microsoft Foundry
• How to select the right approach based on institutional maturity
• Common AI adoption patterns and challenges across higher education
• Why data readiness, architecture, and governance are critical to success

SUNY Tech Talks – April 2026

Wednesday, April 29th, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

YouAlreadyOwnIt: Turning Existing Microsoft Tools into Campus Value

• Microsoft Copilot (AI) Generated Summary Document
  • Please request access to the document using the form and access will be granted within 1 business day. 
• Slides from the Presentation
• Learn more about Planet
• Sign Up for “YouAlreadyOwnIt”
• Planet Technologies Contract Vehicles
• Connections
  • Ali Stalfa-Grant agrant@go-planet.com
  • Andrew Sloan asloan@go-planet.com
  • Scott Derby sderby@go-planet.com

This week’s SUNY Tech Talks featured Planet Technologies and Microsoft, focusing on Planet’s “YouAlreadyOwnIt” program and how it can help SUNY campuses maximize their existing Microsoft investments. This session highlighted practical ways campuses can take advantage of tools they may already own and better align technology investments with campus needs.

Presenters:

• Ali Stalfa-Grant, Strategic Account Manager, Planet Technologies
• Andrew Sloan, Cloud Strategist, Planet Technologies

Agenda

• Meet the Team
• Why Planet
• Planet Capabilities & Offerings
• “YouAlreadyOwnIt” Program
  • Microsoft 365
  • Copilot
  • Intune
  • Power BI
• Training and Implementation Services
• Next Steps

SUNY Tech Talks – March 2026

Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern

Modernizing Higher Education Endpoints: Secure, Intelligent, and Cost Effective with Surface

Speakers:

• Eric Davis – Sr. Surface Specialist
• Neil Misak– AI Solutions Architect

Discover how Microsoft Surface devices can transform higher education and research. Join us as we explore how Surface can enhance learning experiences, streamline faculty and staff workflows, and support secure, scalable device management across institutions. 

Agenda:

• Why Copilot + PCs: The Next Generation of Teaching & Learning Devices (20 minutes)
• The Intelligent Edge: Redefining Student, Faculty, and Research Experiences (20 minutes)
• Lower Cost, Higher Value: Surface Total Cost of Ownership (10 minutes)
• Open discussion / Q&A